Part 4 (2/2)

It e the book by its cover Physical appearance is used extensively in the anido from old, and one subtype of species from another It is the saood genetic health, while asyn of some mutation and i potential in women, while a firm, muscular build is evidence of sexual maturity in ood and bad, new and old, ripe and raw

Started by the ancient Greek philosophers and passed on to the modern-day media, the debate about the role of physical appearance in our life is ongoing Francis Galton first tried to measure various physical features and relate them systematically to personality traits and behaviors Oscar Wilde's book, The Picture of Dorian Gray is based on the idea that appearance betrays inner character Nowadays,the bill and looking right

It seems that we have implicit ideas about how looks are linked to inner traits and characteristics Recent research in the currently reviving area of physiognomy shows that physical and facial appearance is consistently related to judgression and dominance It could be that the development of both bodily features and personality traits are influenced by the sait ratio, for exaer lengths, is claiical traits as doarded as ers Woer index fingers Thus the connection between these, at first glance unlikely physical and psychological features, is explained through the influence of the sa foetal development Testosterone, a male hormone, simultaneously affects both a foetus's skeleton structure and its personality characteristics, thus resulting in both ”er ratios, and dominant or submissive personalities

BODILY ATTRACTIVENESS

Evolutionary psychologists have studied the facial and bodily correlates of attractiveness that are related to youth and health (and fecundity) It is possible to describe characteristics of the body and face that are consistently rated attractive by others:BMI: Body Mass Index or shape, which is weight/(height height) An attractive shape has 2126 BMI points

WHR: Waist-to-Hip Ratio in females A desirable score is 07 to 08

CTH: Chest-to-Hip ratio in her ratio or longer legs is preferred in wos in men)

As well as such ”crude” body indexes, there are things like sye of characteristics that signal health and attractiveness Consider hair: this indicates age (bald, grey) and race as well as fitness Many cultures require body hair to be removed, especially by women

People attempt to improve their attractiveness by various erous and certainly expensive plastic surgery, but also cosmetics and nearly always clothes Clothes are used to enhance and disguise, to flatter and to distract: to change the state of both wearer and observer

Below is a table listing bodily and facial features on which evolutionary psychological research has concentrated Looking at the sheer nuated experis First, it shows that there are many details that constitute a ”perfect” shape or look Second, how important symmetry is to the concept of physical attractiveness Froers to toes, sy nitude of bodily features are associated with beauty more than others Thus some of the most frequently studied variables are shape and size

Source: Adapted from Swami and Furnham, 2008

People seem to always have been fascinated by beauty and the beautiful However, is it true that in these politically-correct, litigiouslyobsessed, ie-conscious times, that physical appearance cues, as ment? Is it the survival of the handsomest? Surely no one now dares to differentiate between job candidates on the basis of how they look, except, of course, in the theatre, h ue that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, academic studies in the area reveal a somewhat different picture In fact, research on physical looksVarious well-conducted criical studies have shown that physical features frequently sway judguilt The scared, small-eyed, heavily-built, shaven-haired defendant has far less of a chance of being judged correctly innocent than the large-blueeyed, neotonized cherub Attractiveness influences both juries and judges: bail levels, fines and jail sentences are often partly a reflection of the defendant's looks

There are a host of studies on physical looks that sho certain features trigger reactions Shown pictures of the sa spectacles or not, attached to a CV, people rate those wearing glasses as beinginterviehere voice, vocabulary and answers to questions can overpower the simple prop of spectacles But looks count, often subtly and very imprecisely

Attractiveness is usually defined as ”the degree to which one's facial ie elicits a positive response” The results from ood” phenomenon As noted in the previous chapter, this is also called the halo effect and means that physical attractiveness is associated with many other (quite unrelated) characteristics and traits Thus those who are considered attractive are thought of as being ent, reeable than those who are deemed to be less attractive

LOOKING THE PART

Consider the job of the casting director of a play or fil It is, of course, a selection job Out of the many, many hopeful applicants for the role, those must be chosen who in some way best encapsulate looks, voices, mannerisms and personae of the characters Villains have to look like villains; and heroes like real heroes Seductive lovers and vulnerable princesses all have to have the ”right body”

The whole package needs to fit The voice htful and nify the effect Most directors want to be a little original, a little quirky Hence the curious mixture of heroes on American detective shows, from bald, lollipop lickers to short, square, binocularly-challenged individuals

Obituaries of film stars sho they tended to play similar roles No doubt because they looked the part Often people who knew these characters intimately reported that in effect they were quite unlike their celluloid characters ”Bad guys”, characterized by gruff,raconteurs in private life; while ar

This is all very well in the ”arty” world of drama and theatre, but what happens in business? To what extent are those who select er should look like?

Photographs are often used to accompany CVs, and selectors used to call for theht of as being influenced by the person's (facial) appearance, indicating race and age as well as physical attractiveness But height, body shape, skin texture, hair length and quality do make a difference, for both men and women Indeed, there are ”consultants” who sell their skill at helping you to reat rise of cosood business investment They know that in the selection process, in presentations, and probably at assessments, it really does help to look the part

The job application process has, for raph In the past, this was mainly for the purpose of identification Impostors have been known to take tests for other people And photographs can help to jog the ht see as raphs is now impermissible because of a new discrihtishtisue that people do better at work (are selected, promoted, rewarded) on their looks more than on their performance, which is unfair Survival of the prettiest! The beautiful shall inherit the earth

Unfortunately, there is abundant research evidence available to prove that this is true Overweight people (as seen froraphs) are less likely to be selected for interview and, if they et the job Very short people, particularly men, don't fare too well The bald and bearded, those with thick lenses, or poor skin, or uneven teeth, are all handicapped ”What is beautiful is good” Attractive people spend less time in mental hospitals; they receive smaller/lower fines and prison sentences; and are more likely to be elected leaders of their fellows

In one study conducted in the roup of researchers sent a CV with photo attached to a group of public health administrators In a letter, the supposed enquirer requested inforet into” a public health career The results showed that identical letters but with pictures of overweight (as opposed to norht) writers received both fewer responses and less encouragement to start a career in the area Even when the applicants were judged to be equal overall in (ainst the overweight

Studies on the perception of overweight job applicants all seereedy” and ”lazy” One study showed that overweight sales people were rated as less trustworthy, less punctual and less polite than their norues Fat-ism exists Fat people are less likely to be selected for specific jobs

One study used video-taped interviews and another used actors ood ht, with the sa identical questions in identical interviews There reet a job if you are overweight And there is worse news: soative correlation beteight and pay heavy people are paid less

Heightisenda of the ”discriht to point out that attractiveness does affect every aspect of our lives, and our success at work But the real issue is how best to deal with that fact

There are three probley of attractiveness, the issue of lookism and issues of discrimination The first is the problereely, but much less consensus about those in between There are websites, support groups and fan clubs of people with very particular characteristics Some individuals find plump voluptuousness attractive Beauty, indeed attractiveness, like contact lenses, ht be alislation on discriuidelines very problematic

But the second issue is ested that looks are related to job performance: attractive people out-perforues There are various ested to account for this At the si theory level, attractive people are more self-confident as a result of the way they have been treated in the past They have been privileged, favored and rewarded Evolutionary psychologists have proposed the unthinkable and suggested there are good reasons to believe attractiveness is linked with intelligence, which is itself a good predictor of job success

More obviously, the public respond well topeople are et more tips, are liked more by others Unfair, perhaps, but then life is unfair

Third, soht need a certain strength, agility, ability to stretch and so on They ht need 20/20 vision Have all these issues have been considered in disability legislation?

Therewith an ideal shape People with good looks can be arrogant, narcissistic, spoilt: think super on their looks rather than other skills, perseverance or siht because they have not had to learn these skills

There are terful reactions to the above observations The first is the shrill cry of unfair discrimination from the conspiracy theorists, who see prejudice everywhere There are no doubt associations of the short, the fat, and ainst Their argument is that physical characteristics play no part in hoell they do the job, and that they are therefore victiht quotas and the like, ensuring that by law as ht as above it

Battling for the other side are the covariance theorists, who point out that height and weight are in fact linked to social class, which in turn is linked to education, which is linked to skill, knowledge and attitudes Thus the reason why top people tend to be slie is that these are covariates of education, which is indeed a good predictor of success at work

There can be strong or weak variants of either the conspiracy or covariance theories Thus one could try sociobiology as a strong version of covariance theorists Itlike this: mate selection is partly a function of physical attractiveness Woht, wealthy males; males like pretty, fecund woer the choice of spouses you have, and vice versa Thus certain physical types do better Alpha males with trophy wives are top of the chain True for the ement team in Banbury

How to reduce the attractiveness bias

Politicians and lawyers i and the latter rich An alternative answer comes from the classical musical industry, where ”blind” auditions were introduced in selection players for syes could only hear, but not see, theand selected the applicants to be in or out based on their abilities, not their outward appearance The same principle has already been applied to business Candidates are frequently asked to take IQ and personality tests before they are invited to a selection interview